What role did France's fear of Germany play in the formation of the EU? Is the European Union a field of cooperation or a new space for national rivalries? Can we talk about a German Europe? Is there a real danger of the EU dissolving and returning to nation-states? Can Europe move forward without a new France-Germany alliance?

The book follows the path of implementing the "European idea" through various crises: the rejection of the Defense Community plan, the "empty chair" crisis, the dispute over the nature of the monetary union, issues surrounding German reunification, and competition within the euro zone. Using historical and theoretical tools from international relations, it analyzes some decisive decisions made by leaders of EU countries, such as Adenauer, Churchill, De Gaulle, Kohl, Mitterrand, Thatcher, and Merkel.

Theoretical analyses of competition, the position of states in the global system, and the limits of cooperation, starting from Thucydides and reaching Kant, Morgenthau, Carr, Waltz, and Haas, illuminate important aspects of events. Hand in hand with history, they help to identify the limits of the nation-state and understand the need for political unification of the EU. Only in this way will Europe confront new major challenges, so as not to relive moments from its darkest past.